


a hand to get through

by templemarker



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Barbecue, Bonding, Brotherly Bonding, Canon Character of Color, Canon Queer Character of Color, Canon Trans Character, F/M, Female Character of Color, Friendship, Gen, LGBTQ Character of Color, Male Bonding, Male Character of Color, POV Character of Color, Trans Character, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:29:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28330176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/templemarker/pseuds/templemarker
Summary: "Hey man," Paul said, clapping Judd on the back and peering around him to check out the grill. "That looks damn fine, Judd."Judd smiled, knocking up the brim of the cowboy hat he was using to keep the sun out of his eyes. "It sure does," he said. "That's my grandaddy's recipe right there, real West Texas style. You smell that mesquite?"
Relationships: Grace Ryder/Judd Ryder (9-1-1 Lone Star)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 50
Collections: Yuletide Madness 2020





	a hand to get through

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ladyjax](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyjax/gifts).



> Happy holidays ladyjax! I hope you enjoy this wee fic.

"Hey man," Paul said, clapping Judd on the back and peering around him to check out the grill. "That looks damn fine, Judd."

Judd smiled, knocking up the brim of the cowboy hat he was using to keep the sun out of his eyes. "It sure does," he said. "That's my grandaddy's recipe right there, real West Texas style. You smell that mesquite?"

Paul ducked down a little to scent the smoke right off the grill. "Oh yeah," he said, "that makes for a hell of a flavor. I took Mateo over to that food cart Tim mentioned, with the mesquite tacos. I think we went back for more two or three times, it was so good."

"You talkin' about Papí Leon's joint, yeah?"

Paul nodded. "That's the one. Great horchata too."

Grace came out of the house, two uncapped beers hooked between her fingers and a jug of ice water in the other. "How you boys doin' out here? Are you melting yet, Paul?" she teased, setting the drinks down on the patio table.

Paul laughed. "Not just yet! It gets pretty sweltering in Chicago, too."

"I bet it ain't got nothing on a Texas summer," Judd boasted, putting a tray of vegetables to roast on the upper deck of the grill.

Paul raised an eyebrow. "Weird flex but okay," he said, face mock-serious for a moment. Grace laughed under her breath at the pinched look on Judd's face, making it clear that he didn't get the meaning. Paul held it for a moment longer but had to laugh at that look -- it made Judd look like a petulant little boy, and that was just funny as hell on a tall-ass man with a five o'clock shadow.

"Listen now," Judd said, dropping the lid of the grill down, "I only flex when I want to impress the ladies--"

Grace gave him a look and he quickly backtracked: "--to impress one lady, this lady right here!"

She smiled and said, "Better," as Paul laughed under his breath.

With the grill going for the next while, Paul and Judd sat down at the patio table, picking off a bowl of chips. Grace went back inside to work on a salad, and they sat in a comfortable silence looking out over the natural area that abutted Judd's house.

Paul took a long pull off his beer, nodding his appreciation at the crisp flavor that was perfect for the sun and the heat.

"Thanks for inviting me over," he said, tipping the neck of his bottle in Judd's direction. "After talking up your barbecue so much I've been looking forward to it all week."

"My pleasure," Judd said, leaning back in his chair. He visibly hesitated a moment before continuing, "I haven't really -- it's been a long while since I had a guy from the firehouse over." His voice was softer, and he looked over Paul's shoulder for a long moment before meeting his eyes.

Paul blew out a breath. He hadn't thought about it too much when Judd invited him over for a Thursday barbecue, their shared day off in the schedule. Nothing other than being pleased to be invited, to socialize a little easier without having to put all the work in to meet new people in a new town, vetting acquaintances to see if they could understand what being a black trans man in the middle of Texas really meant.

This must have been a big thing for Judd, and Paul wondered if maybe his therapist hadn't given him the idea or the challenge. No matter -- Paul was even more determined now to have a good time, and maybe put Judd at a little more ease too.

"Then I'm honored," Paul said sincerely. "Really, bud. I get a little of what that means, and I appreciate you reaching out as a friend, as new as we are to each other."

Judd nodded decisively, silent like he didn't want to get too far into it for how it would make him feel. He reset his hat so it was sitting on the crown of his head, and wiped away the sweat with the crook of his arm. He took a long pull of his beer, cleared his throat, and said, "So how you think the Bulls are shaping up? Training camp starts soon, don't it?"

Paul grinned; he knew Judd didn't care all that much for basketball, but he'd clearly been listening when Paul explained the finer points of the Bulls' playing record to Mateo during overhaul at the corn silo.

"I'm liking their rookies," he said, launching them into a pretty solid conversation around the Bulls, the NBA, and the merits of the Mavericks, Rockets, and Spurs last season. Judd got up a few times to check on the barbecue, and Paul grabbed them fresh beers too, taking a moment to speak to Grace in the cool of the house.

When the meat was deemed perfect and ready to serve, they all sat around the patio table, which Grace had freshened with a nice tablecloth and place settings.

At the first bite of Grandaddy Rider's barbecue, Paul couldn't help but moan a little at the taste, and how the meat was so tender it melted in the mouth. "Damn!" he said, before remembering that Grace didn't appreciate such language in conversation. "I mean, wow, Judd, this is some fine barbecue. I'm impressed!"

Judd grinned, a little smirky the way he did when he got something particularly right on a call. "Well," he said, slapping Paul on the back, "it's something I only share with my friends."


End file.
